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Illinois’ Darta Lee, Zarrian Holcombe and Howard Watkins face multiple charges after Wednesday arrests

The three Illini players were booked in Champaign County Jail this morning.

NCAA Football: Northwestern at Illinois Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

UPDATE 2:15 PM CST — Head coach Lovie Smith released the following statement regarding the situation:

UPDATE 11:42 AM CST — Looks like there’s a third player, Howard Watkins, involved as well.

Illinois football’s Darta Lee, Zarrian Holcombe and Howard Watkins were arrested and booked at Champaign County Jail on Wednesday morning for charges of home invasion and armed robbery.

A spokesman has already informed Illini Inquirer’s Jeremy Werner that the team is still gathering information on the arrests, and that the program is “allowing the process to play out.”

Lee played in a total of 6 games as a true-freshman, including 2 starts on the offensive line. The 6-foot-3, 320-pound guard joined the Fighting Illini in 2016 as a three-star prospect out of Texas.

Holcombe, another Texas native, spent his freshman season splitting time at tight end and wide receiver. Watkins was a three-star offensive lineman who joined the Illini as an early-enrollee from Cincinnati.

The three are expected to appear in Champaign County court tomorrow at 1:30 PM.

We’ll be sure to update this story if/when more news regarding the situation breaks.